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Triplicity means relying on three very specific friends
In astrology, triplicity gives a placement support from three rulers associated with its element.
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Winamp's llama slogan arrived in an email
Creator Justin Frankel said the famous 'whips the llama's ass' line came to the team by email, inspired by musician Wesley Willis. They used it in the…
Discover morePaul Erdős traveled with almost nothing
He traveled with a tiny suitcase, stayed with fellow mathematicians, and relied on them for food and clothes while working up to 19 hours a day.
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Second house shows your material hoarding
In astrology, the second house is associated with income and possessions—both how you earn money and how you spend it.
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Old Hollywood's rulebook even regulated how a bedroom could appear
The 1930 Production Code required bedroom scenes to be handled with 'good taste and delicacy' and restricted depictions of sex and nudity. Under later…
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Why people watch trains crawl through the snow
A broadcast of a train slowly crossing snowy scenery ran for seven uninterrupted hours, appealing to viewers who wanted the unhurried experience of looking…
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Pliny the Elder wrote that ancient Roman mystics prescribed crushed quartz crystals to cure severe cases of dysentery
Roman naturalists thought quartz was ice frozen so hard it could never melt, and believed its coldness could cool the body’s humors. That made swallowing…
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Why an audience can make easy tasks easier
When people are watching, your body can become more keyed up. For a simple task you’ve practiced, that extra energy can make the well-learned response quicker…
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The first flight attendants were all men
Early airlines hired men as stewards, drawing on the seafaring tradition of male cabin staff. Once airlines wanted passengers to see flying as safe and…
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Why retro games looked better on old CRT screens
On CRTs, the glow of phosphors and the scanlines softened pixel edges, blending the blocky shapes together. Modern sharp screens reveal details those old…
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An orbital tether could trade one spacecraft's altitude for another's
Connect two objects with a long tether and release them at the right moment, and their different motions can send them onto different orbits. One gains…
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Tajine refers to both the dish and the clay pot
The conical lid lets steam condense and drip back into the stew, helping keep the meat tender as it cooks.
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Mattress commercials employ deliberate psychological tricks
A bowling ball bouncing on memory foam says little about how well a mattress supports a sleeper; the stunt showcases the foam, not actual sleep quality.
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Gemini possesses unmatched skill in losing sunglasses
They buy cheap sunglasses in bulk, then lose a pair, search everywhere—even on their own heads—and buy another. The cycle repeats.
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Newton left administrative paperwork as well as laws of motion
Alongside mathematics and physics, his surviving writings include records from his work as Warden and Master of the Mint. The Newton Project also publishes…
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Geocentric views pretend earth is center
The geocentric model puts Earth at the center of the cosmos; the joke is that this can sound like the universe revolves around the person using it.
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Capricorn natives complain about literal absolute perfection
Even a flawless result can leave them hunting for tiny flaws so they can keep criticizing.
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Birth time obsession drives insane internet traffic
The joke is that people search online for their birth time instead of simply calling the hospital records department.
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Red made people snack less in one experiment
Researchers tested whether a color associated with stopping and avoidance could affect eating and drinking. Participants consumed less from red tableware in…
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Save states literally dump active memory
An emulator save state records the contents of active RAM in a file; loading it restores the game to that exact moment, even if you were about to fall off a…
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Specialized mystical tools are bizarrely fragile
The joke is that one drop can leave an esoteric tool in pieces, forcing an expensive replacement.
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Left 4 Dead 2 built dozens of ways for zombies to come apart
Valve's developer commentary describes 43 distinct wound possibilities, with damage reacting to gunfire, melee attacks, and explosions. The sequel expanded…
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When dentists used tons of gold every year
For years, a trip to the dentist could mean putting gold in your mouth. Before composite resins became common, gold was a routine material for dental work,…
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Tandem bicycles force the rear rider to stare at a back
Both riders face forward, so the front cyclist gets the scenery and the rear cyclist gets a close-up of a human back. Tandem seating keeps both riders…
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